I’ve visited The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long a couple of times. In the last time I visited, more exhibits were added to this historic place and more information boards at each point to explain about its history.
In this article, I will show you in detail how to explore the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, how to get to the citadel, things to do, entrance ticket, opening hours, and what to not miss at the citadel.
There are two points of interest in the citadel located outside of the main area, and lots of visitors missed these two interesting places, so I’m going to mention them too.
Is it worth visiting the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long?
If you’re interested in the history of Hanoi and the feudal system of Vietnam, I highly recommend visiting The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. It’s easy to spend a couple of hours to half a day at this citadel to learn about this historic place.
The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is also located very close to the Old Quarter, where most visitors stay. This makes it an easy place to visit on foot or just Grab/ GreenSM taxi and motorbike ride from the Old Quarter.
King Ly Thai To built Thang Long Citadel in 1010, then people from surrounding moved to Hanoi Old Quarter on the eastern side of the citadel to live and make goods for the royals.
Due to its prime location in the heart of Hanoi, you can combine a visit to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long with other attractions nearby such as Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, Temple Of Literature, and the Hanoi train street.
The History of Thang Long
From the Tang domination (7th – 9th centuries), this land was known as Dai La citadel and was the administrative center of Dominated An Nam (ruled by China).
In the Dinh – Pre-Lê period (10th century), Hoa Lu was the capital city and Dai La citadel was an administrative center of Đại Việt.
The highlight of Thang Long started from 1010, when King Ly Thai To moved the capital city from Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh) to Dai La and renamed it Thang Long (“Rising Dragon”). From that point onward, Thăng Long became the largest political and cultural center of Vietnam for thousands of years.
Thăng Long Capital was built with three rings of fortifications protecting one another, which were respectively named the Đại La Citadel, Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Citadel. The Dai La citadel is protected by three rivers, which include Red River, To Lich River, and Kim Nguu River.
- Dai La (La Thanh) is the outermost wall encircling the entire capital city, protecting the inhabitants and the city itself. It is a residential and commercial area for the normal people.
- Hoang Thanh (Imperial Citadel) is the middle wall, the workplace and residence of mandarins.
- Cam Thanh (Forbidden City) is the innermost wall, the private residence and resting place of the royal family, the king, and the harem.
In between these fortifications, the Lý, Trần and Lê dynasties built palaces, pavilions, towers, and pagodas to serve for the royal family purposes.
Under the Tây Sơn dynasty (1789 – 1802) Thăng Long was the Northern Citadel. In 1805, King Gia Long (the first King of Nguyễn dynasty) built the capital in Hue. He demolished the Thăng Long Citadel and built a Vauban-style citadel on its old citadel ground.
In 1831, the Northern Citadel was renamed Hanoi Citadel. The French demolished the citadel in order to plan a new city in 1897.
There are 5 structures remaining at the central axis, which include Đoan Môn Gate, the foundation of Kính Thiên palace from Lê dynasty, Hau Lau Pavillion, and the Flag Tower & the Northern Gate from Nguyễn dynasty.
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Where is the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long?
The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is located in the western side of the Hanoi Old Quarter and is very close to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. It’s bounded by four main streets, Hoang Dieu, Nguyen Tri Phuong, Phan Dinh Phung, and Dien Bien Phu.
The main entrance of the Citadel is located on 19c Hoang Dieu street. The historic Northern Gate is located on Phan Dinh Phung street. The Thang Long Citadel Archaeological Site is located at number 18 Hoang Dieu street.
How to get to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long?
Most visitors stay in Hanoi Old Quarter, and from this old town, you can easily get to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long by a short Grab taxi/ motorbike and Green SM taxi/ motorbike ride.
My Hotel is located near Phung Hung Street and the train street area, so I was able to walk to the Citadel within 20 minutes. If you take a taxi and motorbike, it will take around 5-10 minutes depending on the location in the Old Quarter.
The Hop On Hop Off bus also stops at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, so if you’re planning visiting multiple destinations within a day, you can consider taking this option. I found that it’s easier to just order a ride from either Grab or GreenSM because of its convenience and more privacy.
If you navigate to the Citadel by yourself, I recommend going to the main gate to buy a ticket for easy visiting each point in order.
Opening hours and entrance ticket
The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is open everyday from 8am to 5pm. The best time to visit is early morning and late afternoon to avoid the heat.
There is air conditioning at some exhibit zooms, as well as benches, and shaded areas along the way for you to rest and escape the heat if you’re visiting in the summer days.
The entrance ticket is 100k VND for adults. I recommend keeping the ticket with you, because the other two sides include the Thang Long Citadel Archaeological Site at 18 Hoang Dieu and the Northern Gate on Phan Dinh Phung street has its own checking point for tickets. You’ll need to show this ticket for the staff again to be able to enter these sites.
How long do you have to spend at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long?
I would recommend spending at least two hours at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long to read the information and see the major sights within the complex.
The area is around 1km long and 200m wide; walking along its length and just checking the popular points of interest and taking quick photos will take around 30 minutes.
But there are many exhibits with lots of useful information in the text forms and documentary videos to read and watch.
I personally think 2-3 hours is generally a good amount of time to spend at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. This time will allow you to read the information, take photos, watch the documentary videos, and take lots of rest along the way.
What to do at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long?
There are 5 relics of the citadel from the feudal periods of Vietnam, 2 points related to the Vietnam American war, as well as lots of exhibits to explore at the Thang Long citadel.
The 5 ruins on the ground of the Imperial palace include the Hanoi flag Tower, North Gate, Hau Lau pavilion from Nguyen Dynasties, as well as Doan Mon gate and the Dargon stairs from Le Dynasty. The underground bunkers and meeting house used during the Vietnam American war are also well worth checking out.
1. The Hanoi flag tower
The Hanoi flag tower is located right next to the main entrance to the Thang Long citadel. After passing the ticket checkpoint area, I recommend checking out the Flag tower and its exhibit room first.
If you want to try a traditional custom for taking photos you can find the renting shop right next to the exhibit area.
The Hanoi Flag Tower is the iconic symbol of the city. It was built by King Gia Long around 1805-1812 in the south side of Hanoi citadel, on the old foundation of Chu Tuoc gate of the Le Dynasty.
The Hanoi Flag tower was built with bricks, stones, and mortar. It has three parts: the tower base, the tower body, and the tower top. The tower base is the three square-shaped base, truncated pyramids, creating a sturdy foundation. The octagonal tower body is 18.2m high. The tower top has a pole to hang the flags and a small watch post.
The French colonial administration built an octagonal observation tower on top of the Flag Tower and installed an optical signal tower around 1884-1885.
Today, the Hanoi Flag Tower still stands tall with the national flag on top, symbolizing the will for independence of the Vietnamese people.
In addition to the Hanoi Tower exhibit, you can find the three other different exhibits:
The first exhibit is about the development of the Thang Long citadel through the printing blocks of the Nguyen Dynasty.
In this exhibition, you will see a collection of images, documents, and replicas of materials in the Nguyễn dynasty Printing Blocks. The Printing blocks were widely used during the feudal period in Vietnam. They are a special form of document the script was engraved in reverse on wood to be used for printing books.
The second exhibit is about the Hanoi citadel under the Nguyen dynasty & French colonial administration.
The capital city was moved to Hue in central Vietnam in 1802 by King Gia Long, the first King of the Nguyen Dynasty. Thăng Long citadel became the Northern citadel. It was no longer the political center, but it remained an important political and military hub of the northern area.
In 1803, King Gia Long ordered demolishing the old citadel from the Le Dynasty and built the new citadel in the French Vauban style. The new citadel had two fortresses and five gates, watch towers and coppers. The Kính Thiên palace became a royal residence for the Nguyen Kings during their Northern tours.
In 1848, King Tự Đức ordered the demolition of nearly all palaces within Hanoi Citadel. All carved stone and wooden artifacts were taken to Huế.
The French colonial forces launched two attacks on Hà Nội citadel in 1873 and 1882. The architecture and functions of the citadel underwent significant changes by the French from 1883 to 1897. They repaired old structures of the citadel and turned it into their military’s offices as well as built new fortifications to serve as command posts.
Some old structures were kept until today such as the Dragon stairs at Kính Thiên Palace, Đoan Môn
(Main Gate), Chính Bắc Môn (Main Northern Gate), Kỳ Đài (Hanoi Flag Tower) and Hậu Lâu Pavilion.
The third exhibit is on the 2nd floor about The Royal Examinations held at Thăng Long Citadel during the Lê Dynasty
If you visit Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam, the first National University of Vietnam, you will see some similar information with this exhibit.
The education and examination system of Vietnam was established under the Ly Dynasty. Văn Miếu (Confucius Temple) was built under King Ly Thanh Tong in 1070. The first Confucian examination was held in 1075 under the reign of King Lý Nhân Tông, and Quốc Tử Giám was built in 1076.
The Confucian examinations and education system was developed under the Lý, Trần, Hồ, Lê Sơ, Mạc, Lê Trung Hưng and Nguyễn Dynasty. But under the Le dynasty, it was the golden age of confucian examination system in Vietnam due to their well-organized system and strict regulations.
2. Doan Mon Relic (the Main Gate)
Doan Mon Gate (South Gate) is the main entrance of the Forbidden City of the Thang Long Citadel. It was built in the Le dynasty and later restored in the 19th century under the Nguyen Dynasty.
The Doan Mon Gate is lined on the “central axis” of the Imperial Citadel. It is located south of Kinh Thien Palace, aligned with the Hanoi Flag Tower.
It had five arched gates. The Doan Mon gate is also known as “Ngu Mon Lau” meaning the pavilion with 5 doors.
The middle gate is the largest gate, 4m high and 2.7m wide. The main gate was used for the King to go inside the Forbidden City, which was the residence of the King, Royal families, and central workplace of the court.
Two sides of the main gate are the four smaller gates for mandarins and members of the royal family. The second and third floor have architecture styles from the Nguyen Dynasty. It has whole views of the Flag tower and front courtyard.
Right behind the Doan Mon gate is the small area of archaeological excavation. There are the layers of bricks and paving at the depth of 1.2m dating from the Le So dynasty (1428-1527). These were part of the Long Tri terrace, a pathway that connected the gate to the Kinh Thien Palace.
At a depth of 1.9 m, there are much older bricks with a lemon flower style, from the Ly dynasty (1009-1225). This means this gate was here from at least the11th or 12th century.
3. Exhibition Thousand-year History under the ground
This exhibit displays artifacts found underground in the area west of the main axis of Thăng Long Forbidden City at 18 Hoàng Diệu street. The excavation zone has a total area of 33,000m.
They found overlapping layers of artifacts spanning many centuries from the Lý Dynasty (1009-1225), Trần Dynasty (1226-1400), Lê sơ Dynasty (1428 – 1527), Mạc Dynasty (1527 – 1592), and Lê Trung hưng Dynasty(1533 – 1789).
You will see hundreds of antiques including dragons, phoenixes, carvings, utensils and items from different periods in this exhibition area.
4. Kinh Thien Place and the Dragon Steps
The Kinh Thien Palace was the heart of the Forbidden City during the Early Le, Mac, and Restored Le dynasties (15th- 18th centuries). It was the site for the Great Court Ceremonies and imperial rituals to pray for national peace and prosperity.
The Kinh Thien Palace was built in 1428 under the Le So dynasty (1428-1527) on the site of the Can Nguyen Palace during the Ly dynasty and Thien An Palace in the Ly and Tran dynasties.
In the Nguyen dynasty, King Gia Long built a new building in the French Vauban architectural style in a smaller size and later renamed the Long Thien Palace in 1841.
In 1886, the French colonial administration demolished the palace to build their Artillery Headquarters. The only remaining parts of the Palace are the foundation and the set dragon steps.
The Dragon Steps was built in 1467 under the Le So dynasty. The stairs are divided into three flights separated by two stone dragons. The central flight was reserved for the Emperor, while those flanking it were for mandarins.
The two dragons are beautifully sculpted, with large heads and bodies tapering to a sword shape at the top of the stairs. Each dragon has five claws, symbolizing royal power.
5. T1 Operation Command Bunker
This Military Operation Bunker-General Command Headquarter is located close to the location of Kinh Thien Palace. The underground tunnel was built between 1964 and 1965 in the early days of the Vietnam-American war.
At this bunker, you can view tools, equipment, working rooms, and ventilation rooms which were used by the Vietnamese government during the war time.
6. Revolutionary Relic D67 Building and Bunker
This building was used as the resistance command headquarters in 1967. It has two living and working rooms of two Generals, Vo Nguyen Giap & Van Tien Dung, as well as a meeting room of the Politburo and Military Commission. There is an underground bunker approximately 9 meters deep outside of the House.
7. Hậu Lâu (Ladie’s Pavilion)
Hậu Lâu, also known as Tĩnh Bắc Pavilion, was built by King Minh Mang in October 1821. It was the worship of the Three Gods and used to pray for the well-being of the people whenever the king traveled to Bắc Thành (Northen citadel – Hanoi).
In the late 19th century, the Hậu Lâu was damaged and rebuilt by the French.
8. The Archaeological Site At 18 Hoang Dieu
There is a massive Archaeological Site located on the west side of the Imperial Palace of Thang Long. You can have a quick visit to these sites to see vestiges of Thăng Long imperial palace under the ground dating back to more than 1000 years ago at the Thang Long citadel.
Make sure to keep the ticket you bought at the main entrance to the Thang citadel with you, because there is a checking point at the entrance to this site.
The bottom layer are the artifacts from the Early Thang Long time, or Dominated An Nam. The layer above the Dai La layer is artifacts from Ly – Tran Dynasties, and the top layers are artifacts from the Le Dynasty.
9. North Gate
The North Gate is located in the northern area of the Thang Long citadel. To reach this gate, you need to exit the citadel and walk toward Phan Dinh Phung street.
It’s a popular spot where you can stop and take photos from outside. If you still keep the ticket that you bought from the main entrance of the Citadel,you can show it to the guard and go inside for the exhibits and climb to the top of the gate.
Chinh Bac Mon or Cua Bac was built in 1805 and is the only remaining gate to Hanoi Citadel under the Nguyen Dynasty. This gate survived the two attacks of the French military.
On the wall of the gate, you can see two cannon balls fired by French troops from the Red River. The wooden doors have been restored and weigh about 16 tons and run on copper wheels.
The gate is 9m long, 17m high and 20m wide. It is made of bricks with a stone arch door. The temple on the top of the gate is delicate to Nguyen Tri Phuong and Hoang Dieu, the two general-governors of Hanoi who fight against the invasion of French colonists until they die.
The streets on the left and right sides of the Thang Long Citadel were named after these two heroic figures.
Facilities at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long?
Toilets
There are several toilets on the ground to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. Some are clean but some lack toilet paper, so you can double check the room when you go inside or always carry extra hand paper with you.
Vending machine
The vending machines are set up in several locations on the ground of the citadel. You can buy a 500ml of bottle of water for 10k VND, which is a reasonable price. If you’re visiting in the summer, you’ll need a few bottles of water while exploring the citadel.
Air conditioning and Fans
Some exhibit rooms have air conditioning but some don’t, so it can be quite hot at some point if you’re visiting the citadel mid day. There are benches in many rooms so, if you need to take a rest, you can sit inside the rooms with air conditioning.
If you’re in Hanoi Old Quarter, and you’re interested in the history of Hanoi and Vietnam, from feudal periods to modern days, The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is well worth visiting.